The present invention relates to storage facilities for liquids and gases and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus for controlling the escape of hazardous materials, such as chlorine, stored near personnel facilities.
The government has rights in this invention pursuant to Contract No. F04704-82-C-0038 awarded by the U.S. Air Force.
The present invention provides a safe way to store chlorine in a deep basing environment for ICBM missiles. In such a case, a control center would be buried to protect it against attack and would be isolated from the surface, relying on stockpiles of commodities for survival for a limited time.
To provide power sufficient to sustain the personnel long enough for them to "dig out" after a first strike nuclear attack, electrical power is needed and fuel cells which use hydrogen and chloride are presently envisioned to provide that power. Chlorine, however, is a hazardous material, so its storage must ensure no leakage into personnel areas. Thus, any leaks of chlorine must not only be detected quickly, but they must also be contained quickly and efficiently.
Another design criterion of the deep basing system is to minimize the loss of chlorine in the event of leakage, since the stored supply or stockpile of chlorine is limited. Thus, it is preferable that as much leaked chlorine as possible be salvaged for later use.
Furthermore, if the chlorine is stored as a liquid, for example, to conserve storage space, the leakage containment system should prevent any leaked chlorine from evaporating. This requirement is based not only on the need for efficient use of the chlorine as a fuel, but also on the need to prevent the unwanted possibility that evaporated chlorine might travel into personnel areas and cause a health hazard.
The previously available storage techniques for chlorine do not adequately meet these design criteria. For example, one proposal for storing chlorine uses a chlorine "soup," in which chlorine is kept in a weakly bound chlorine-oxygen compound in a hydrochloric acid solution within a graphite matrix. This proposal is undesirable because there is no assurance that the chlorine would be readily released at the graphite electrode of a fuel cell, or that such a "soup" could be manufactured in sufficient quantities. Another proposal, storage of chlorine as a gas, requires too much volume. Still another proposal involves storing chlorine as a chlorine hydrage, which is a complex mixture of chlorine and water. Chlorine hydrage, however must be kept refrigerated at 10.degree. C. to maintain stability, and would not remain homogeneous while stored. Furthermore, breakdown of the hydrate would possibly release chlorine gas into personnel areas.
Therefore, an object of this invention is a safe and effective storage facility which contains leaks of a stored fluid, especially liquid chlorine.
Another object of the present invention is the safe and effective storage facility which prevents evaporation of a stored liquid in the event of a leak of that liquid.
Yet another object of this invention is a safe and effective storage facility which contains any fluid leaked from storage facility so that it can be recovered.
A still further object of the present invention is the control of hazardous leaks from chlorine storage, particularly in an undergound facility.